Interview:James Kyson Lee

On August 24, 2007, RyanGibsonStewart held an interview via phone with James Kyson Lee, the actor who portrays Ando Masahashi.

Ryan Stewart: You're one of the few members of the cast that I see doing a lot of interviews with some of the smaller fan sites, rather than only interviewing with the larger news sites. I just want to tell you, on behalf of the fans, how much I appreciate that you devote so much of your time to interacting with your fans as directly as possible.

James Kyson Lee: Well, you're welcome, Ryan. For me, I consider that important because our fans have been such an important and integral part of our show. It only feels natural and right to give something back.

That's great. I actually noticed that there's a "Jameskysonlee" username which keeps sites like IMDb, Wikipedia, and Heroes Wiki updated.

Yeah, I have an administrative assistant who makes sure they keep track of stuff on the web.

Did you enjoy the Comic-Con?

I had a blast, yeah!

At the Comic-Con, Tim Kring mentioned that he wanted to encourage the Heroes fans to give something back. Are there any charities in particular that you're promoting?

Yeah. You know, this past Saturday, three other guys from the show and I performed for a charity event called Hot in Hollywood. It was to raise money for the AIDS Foundation. It was just an amazing night! It was really fun to see some of the people from other shows perform. We had a couple people from ER, people from Ugly Betty and Notes from the Underbelly. Of course, Sendhil, Jack, Zach, and I did the closing number of the show, singing three songs with a rock band and a choir. So it was a cool way to bring the house down.

No way! What did you guys sing?

We sang "Here Comes the Sun", and then U2's "Beautiful Day", and then we closed it with "Let the Sunshine In" from Hair.

That must have been some sight!

Yeah, yeah, it was pretty awesome, man! You know, that's probably one of the best parts of this world and being part of the show. It really give an opportunity for me to do something outside of the acting world, and give something back that has some impact and has a positive influence.

That must feel great.

Yeah, absolutely, yeah.

Have you checked out the latest graphic novel?

You know, I haven't , but a writer just told me that it's a two-parter on my character.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

I'd love to take a look when I can. Yeah, I never got a chance to look at all the graphic novels, so this will be really interesting.

Your character is the main focus of this one, and he appears in two other ones, as well.

Oh, that's really cool.

Yeah, you'll have to check that out.

Absolutely! In San Diego, they announced that DC Comics is going to be officially publishing our Heroes official comic book. I was just thrilled. I thought that was so exciting. I mean, what kid doesn't dream about being in a comic book one day? You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, it's very cool...even if your character has no superpowers.

[laughs] Well, you know, that's the fun part, actually! During Season One, I used to get asked the question all the time, "When is Ando getting powers?" And I used to daydream about different possibilities. Like what if Ando got something unique and random, like I turn villains into small toys? Like, "Here comes Sylar!" BAM! He's a dreidel. Then I spin him around for 15 seconds and he surrenders. Or BOOM! "You're a yo yo!" and I bounce you around. I don't know. I think in the supernatural world, we do need a character that a mortal and somewhat relatable. I think that is Ando. He does sort of represent the human race in this supernatural world, if you will. And there's something fun about that. Ando's a fun character to play because he's able to take the audience with him on the journey. So I really enjoy that.